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By Emanuele Venturoli| Posted September 21, 2015 | In MotoGP, Motor Racing, Motorsports
The Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pairing of Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro are prepared and ready to fight to two strong results at the 14th round of the 2015 MotoGP season at the impressive MotorLand Aragon circuit. With both riders experiencing contrasting fortunes at the San Marino GP, they will now be seeking to move forward and seal a set of positive finishes ahead of the triple fly away races. The circuit is a firm favourite for most of the riders due to its nature, which pushes them to their limits, whilst also ensuring a highly entertaining show for the lively Spanish crowd as well. Smith and Espargaro will navigate themselves around the high-speed 5.1 kilometre Aragon track, which consists of a straight of 968 metres as well as 10 left corners and 7 right.
Bradley Smith will be looking to follow up his brilliantly executed run to 2nd in the San Marino Grand Prix with another strong result at Aragon as he intends to continue his notable form in 2015 plus add valuable points to his standing of 5th in the World Championship. At Misano, the young Briton rocketed to the rostrum after slipping back to 21st due to the tricky conditions, but he bravely persevered and followed his ambitious strategy to score his best ever finish in the premier class. As a result, the 24 year old rider will be gunning for a top six this weekend. Meanwhile Pol Espargaro will intend to bounce back from a disappointing end to the Misano GP, by speeding to the leading satellite position at the event in his home country. The Spaniard has a positive record at the track, having won twice previously in the lower classes and he will seek to close the European run of races with a confident performance before heading to the flyaway Grand Prix’s.
“Firstly, it goes without saying that I can’t wait to get back on the Yamaha after the great result that we had last weekend! It was a complicated race there but I clenched my teeth, took the gamble and it paid off. To score 2nd really is a highlight of this season and it is a testament to the hard work that the team and I have put in. Therefore, at this weekend we will try again and of course the podium finish really motivates me for further success. Fortunately, it looks as though the Aragon race should be dry, but never say never. Last year I finished the race in 5th which was positive, yet this season, I feel I am in a much better place and my confidence has increased. However, the Championship is a lot more competitive, so I’ll be pushing to repeat last season’s result this time. We will see what happens in the race on Sunday, but I am ready to fight and score another solid result, plus with Yamaha having tested there this summer, my confidence is even higher. ”
“After the finish that we really didn’t deserve in Misano, I am certain that we can turn everything around this weekend in Aragon. The whole event in San Marino was quite positive, but unfortunately it didn’t come together on race day as the weather interfered again and close to the end I had to retire due to a technical issue. Nevertheless, Aragon is a track that I really enjoy racing on and it’s even more special as it is in my home country! The circuit is fast, there’s no doubt about that, but the whole layout is really great fun to ride and it compliments the Yamaha YZR-M1. Last year was eventful to say the least due to the rain on race day and I hope that won’t occur again as I want a normal dry Sunday. What we’ll aim to do is shake down on Friday and set the bike up, before fighting for a competitive grid position on Saturday in order to be as prepared as possible for the 23 lap sprint on Sunday. It will be hard work, but I’m more determined than ever and the team and I will really give it everything we’ve got to finish the race in a solid placement in front of my fans before we head east to Japan. ”
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
A graduate in Public, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bologna, he has always been passionate about marketing, design and sport.
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By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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